Picking a cam for the first time

I'm looking at swapping out my stock cam in the near future, last time it was out you could see wear on a few lobes but was in a hurry so it went back in. Now that everything else is just about figured out I wanna see what a cam swap will change for me. I'd like the charger to come up a little quicker and maybe do a little better past 3500 rpm, trying to stick with a drop in. Any suggestions that'll work well with my setup? Thanks.

270k worn out 24 valve engine
Ported head with zzfab intake shelf (no bowl work)
Crower valve springs
13mm pump with 5ks
6x.013s
Cast wheel S472/83/1.0 T4

I’ve seen more bad than good from after market cams and the general consensus on here seems to be that the stock cam is more than sufficient. If you need more power down low I would look into maybe a smaller exhaust housing or maybe even a diverter valve.

The valves had a bad go when the first came out but I think if you maintain it then you should be fine.

Just some thoughts.

I put in a Colt/Hamilton Stage 3 181/210 in my truck years ago, brought the charger in from about 2000 rpm to 1700 and dropped EGT's. I ended up pulling it out of my 24v and installing it in my 12v. The 24v seemed to be the best of factory cams, but theres still lots left on the table to improve upon by going aftermarket.

Carbur8tr said:

I’ve seen more bad than good from after market cams and the general consensus on here seems to be that the stock cam is more than sufficient. If you need more power down low I would look into maybe a smaller exhaust housing or maybe even a diverter valve.

The valves had a bad go when the first came out but I think if you maintain it then you should be fine.

Just some thoughts.

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Appreciate the insight, the stock cam is making great power with my current setup but I can't see going through all the trouble of replacing a worn out cam and tappets for another stocker.

Funny you mentioned that about the turbine housing, I swapped on a 475/83 over the weekend with both a 1.0 and .90 housing. The 1.0 housing staged noticeably easier, still trying to wrap my head around that.

Tate said:

I put in a Colt/Hamilton Stage 3 181/210 in my truck years ago, brought the charger in from about 2000 rpm to 1700 and dropped EGT's. I ended up pulling it out of my 24v and installing it in my 12v. The 24v seemed to be the best of factory cams, but theres still lots left on the table to improve upon by going aftermarket.

Click to expand...

Good to hear, I'm looking into No Limit currently, I'll check out Colt.

If you are running a larger single turbo, a cam is a good investment. It will help spool, clean up smoke, and reduce EGTs. I dont think its as much of an issue on a compounded truck as they dont usually have those problems anyway.

Best thing to do is call up a few different manufactures and talk to them about sizing your cam, and get a feel with who you want to deal with. Hamilton has treated me well.